Crash Test Dummies Getting Fatter to Represent Obese US

The company that makes crash test dummies for car impact surveys has started fattening them up, taking the weight of one range of dummies up from 75kg to 120kg to reflect the fact that the average US driver has rocketed in weight.

Humanetics CEO Chris O'Connor says current dummy proportions are based on body stats from 1980, back when people were thinner because there wasn't a Subway on every corner and society hadn't yet taught us to constantly sip fizzy juice.

O'Connor also has some shock stats for larger drivers, suggesting that obese passengers are 78 per cent more likely to die in a crash than a person of average size. [Sky News]